Throughout our life, we keep on saying 'I'. 'I am Peter. I am an American. I am a Christian. I am a doctor.' We identify with our name, our religion, our occupation, and our nationality. Then we say, 'This is my mother, my father, my wife, and my children.' We live with several relationships. We also claim, 'This car is mine. This house is mine. This business is mine and this wealth is mine.' Who is the one who is constantly saying 'I, me, my, and mine'? It is the ego.
Aren't we the ego that is constantly alive and communicating? 'Get me a coffee. Bring me the file. Don't make me angry! Don't underestimate me!' The ego seems to be very clear of who we are. But, if we are not the body, and we are not the mind, then who is this ego? Can the ego exist independent of the body and mind? Or is the ego part of the body-mind complex that defines our existence as a human being?
While there is no doubt that we have a body that lives and dies, and we have a mind that thinks all the time, and we have an ego, that is identified with not just our name, but our possessions, our relationships, we don't seem to be any of these. What is the Truth? Who are we in reality? If we are not the ego, the mind, and the body, but there is no doubt that we exist from birth to death, then what is the Truth of who we are in reality?